This file is part of IDEAS, which uses RePEc data


[ Papers | Articles | Software | Books | Chapters | Authors | Institutions | JEL Classification | NEP reports | Search | New papers by email | Author registration | Rankings | Volunteers | FAQ | Blog | Help! ]

On the Desirability of an Efficeincy Defense in Merger Control

Author info | Abstract | Publisher info | Download info | Related research | Statistics
Author Info
Johan Lagerlöf
Paul Heidhues

Additional information is available for the following registered author(s):

Abstract

We develop a model in which two firms that have proposed to merge are privately informed about merger-specific efficiencies. This enables the firms to influence the merger control procedure by strategically revealing their information to an antitrust authority. Although the information improves upon the quality of the authority's decision, the influence activities may be detrimental to welfare if information processing/gathering is excessively costly. Whether this is the case depends on the merger control institution and, in particular, whether it involves an efficiency defense. We derive the optimal institution and provide conditions under which an efficiency defense is desirable. We also discuss the implications for antitrust policy and outline a three-step procedure that take the influence activities into consideration.

ZUSAMMENFASSUNG - (Wann ist eine Effizienzverteidigung in der Fusionskontrolle wünschenswert?)
Eine Effizienzverteidigung in der Fusionskontrolle besagt, dass wettbewerbsbeschränkende Fusionen dann erlaubt werden, wenn hinreichend große Synergieeffekte zu erwarten sind. Mögliche Synergieeffekte einer Fusion sind jedoch hauptsächlich den fusionierenden Unternehmen bekannt. Eine Effizienzverteidigung ermöglicht es den fusionierenden Unternehmen, die Entscheidung der Wettbewerbsbehörde zu beeinflussen, indem sie der Wettbewerbsbehörde ihre Informationen strategisch weitergeben (oder zurückhalten). Die Autoren untersuchen, ob und wann eine Effizienzverteidigung aus gesellschaftlicher Sicht wünschenswert ist.
Hierzu entwickeln sie ein Model, in dem Unternehmen, die fusionieren möchten, private Informationen über die Synergieeffekte der Fusion besitzen. Die Unternehmen können die Entscheidung der Wettbewerbsbehörde beeinflussen, indem sie ihre Informationen strategisch an die Wettbewerbsbehörde weiterleiten. Obwohl die Informationen über Synergien die Entscheidung der Wettbewerbsbehörde verbessern, kann die Einflussnahme der Firmen die Wohlfahrt verringern, falls die Firmen zu viel in das Sammeln und Verarbeiten dieser Informationen investieren. Ob dies der Fall ist, hängt von der Ausgestaltung der Fusionskontrolle ab und insbesondere davon, ob die Fusionskontrolle eine Effizienzverteidigung zulässt. In dem theoretischen Model wird die optimale Fusionskontrollinstitution hergeleitet und Bedingungen herausgearbeitet unter denen eine Effizienzverteidigung wünschenswert ist. Die Autoren erörtern die Implikationen des Modells für die Fusionspolitik und entwickeln ein Drei-Stufen-Verfahren für Fusionsentscheidungen, welches die Einflussaktivitäten der Unternehmen berücksichtigt.

Download Info
To download:

If you experience problems downloading a file, check if you have the proper application to view it first. Information about this may be contained in the File-Format links below. In case of further problems read the IDEAS help page. Note that these files are not on the IDEAS site. Please be patient as the files may be large.

File URL: http://skylla.wz-berlin.de/pdf/2002/iv02-08.pdf
File Format: application/pdf
File Function:
Download Restriction: no

Publisher Info
Paper provided by Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG) in its series CIG Working Papers with number FS IV 02-08.

Download reference. The following formats are available: HTML (with abstract), plain text (with abstract), BibTeX, RIS (EndNote, RefMan, ProCite), ReDIF
Length: 41 pages
Date of creation: May 2002
Date of revision:
Publication status: Published in the International Journal of Industrial Organization, Vol. 23(9-10), 2005, pp. 803-827.
Handle: RePEc:wzb:wzebiv:fsiv02-08

Contact details of provider:
Postal: Reichpietschufer 50, 10785 Berlin, Germany
Phone: (++49)(30) 25491-441
Fax: (++49)(30) 25491-442
Web page: http://www.wzb.eu/mp/wiw/default.en.htm
More information through EDIRC

For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its listing, contact: (Jennifer Rontganger).

Related research
Keywords: Lobbying; Rent Seeking; Asymmetric Information; Disclosure; Efficiency Gains; Antitrust;

Other versions of this item:

Find related papers by JEL classification:
D72 - Microeconomics - - Analysis of Collective Decision-Making - - - Models of Political Processes: Rent-seeking, Elections, Legislatures, and Voting Behavior
D82 - Microeconomics - - Information, Knowledge, and Uncertainty - - - Asymmetric and Private Information
K21 - Law and Economics - - Regulation and Business Law - - - Antitrust Law
L40 - Industrial Organization - - Antitrust Issues and Policies - - - General

References listed on IDEAS
Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.:

  1. Tullock, Gordon, 1975. "On the Efficient Organization of Trials," Kyklos, Blackwell Publishing, vol. 28(4), pages 745-62.
  2. Lewis, Tracy R & Poitevin, Michel, 1997. "Disclosure of Information in Regulatory Proceedings," Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 13(1), pages 50-73, April.
    Other versions:
  3. Fisher, Franklin M, 1987. "Horizontal Mergers: Triage and Treatment," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 1(2), pages 23-40, Fall. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Joseph Farrell & Carl Shapiro, 2001. "Scale Economies and Synergies in Horizontal Merger Analysis," Industrial Organization 0012002, EconWPA, revised 05 Jan 2001. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Spector, David, 2003. "Horizontal mergers, entry, and efficiency defences," International Journal of Industrial Organization, Elsevier, vol. 21(10), pages 1591-1600, December. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  6. Besanko, David & Spulber, Daniel F, 1993. "Contested Mergers and Equilibrium Antitrust Policy," Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 9(1), pages 1-29, April.
  7. Steven Shavell, 1994. "Acquisition and Disclosure of Information Prior to Sale," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 25(1), pages 20-36, Spring. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  8. Lars-Hendrik Röller & Johan Stennek & Frank Verboven, 2000. "Efficiency Gains from Mergers," CIG Working Papers FS IV 00-09, Wissenschaftszentrum Berlin (WZB), Research Unit: Competition and Innovation (CIG). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  9. Aghion, Philippe & Tirole, Jean, 1997. "Formal and Real Authority in Organizations," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 105(1), pages 1-29, February.
    Other versions:
  10. Hyun Song Shin, 1998. "Adversarial and Inquisitorial Procedures in Arbitration," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 29(2), pages 378-405, Summer. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  11. Froeb, Luke M. & Kobayashi, Bruce H., 2001. "Evidence production in adversarial vs. inquisitorial regimes," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 70(2), pages 267-272, February. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  12. Daughety, Andrew F & Reinganum, Jennifer F, 2000. "On the Economics of Trials: Adversarial Process, Evidence, and Equilibrium Bias," Journal of Law, Economics and Organization, Oxford University Press, vol. 16(2), pages 365-94, October.
  13. Paul R. Milgrom, 1981. "Good News and Bad News: Representation Theorems and Applications," Bell Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 12(2), pages 380-391, Autumn. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  14. Raymond Deneckere & Carl Davidson, 1985. "Incentives to Form Coalitions with Bertrand Competition," RAND Journal of Economics, The RAND Corporation, vol. 16(4), pages 473-486, Winter. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
Full references

Cited by:
(explanations, Please report citation or reference errors to , or , if you are the registered author of the cited work, log in to your RePEc Author Service profile, click on "citations" and make appropriate adjustments.)

  1. Oliver Gürtler & Matthias Kräkel, 2006. "Mergers, Litigation and Efficiency," Discussion Papers 185, SFB/TR 15 Governance and the Efficiency of Economic Systems, Free University of Berlin, Humboldt University of Berlin, University of Bonn, University of Mannheim, University of Munich. [Downloadable!]
  2. Andreea Cosnita & Jean-Philippe Tropeano, 2006. "On the effective design of the efficiency defence," Cahiers de la Maison des Sciences Economiques v06030, Université Panthéon-Sorbonne (Paris 1). [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  3. Philippe Choné & Laurent Linnemer, 2006. "Assessing Horizontal Mergers under Uncertain Efficiency Gains," CESifo Working Paper Series CESifo Working Paper No. , CESifo Group Munich. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  4. Chongwoo, Choe & Shekhar, Chander, 2009. "Compulsory or Voluntary Pre-merger Notification? Theory and Some Evidence," MPRA Paper 13450, University Library of Munich, Germany. [Downloadable!]
    Other versions:
  5. Lagerlöf, Johan N.M., 2006. "A Theory of Rent Seeking with Informational Foundations," CEPR Discussion Papers 5893, C.E.P.R. Discussion Papers. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
    Other versions:
  6. Goppelsroeder, M. & Schinkel, M.P. & Tuinstra, J., 2006. "Quantifying the Scope for Efficiency Defense in Merger Control: The Werden-Froeb-Index," CeNDEF Working Papers 06-09, Universiteit van Amsterdam, Center for Nonlinear Dynamics in Economics and Finance. [Downloadable!]
Statistics
Access and download statistics

Did you know? Over 80% of the top 1000 economists are registered on RePEc.

This page was last updated on 2009-11-19.

This information is provided to you by IDEAS at the Department of Economics, College of Liberal Arts and Sciences, University of Connecticut using RePEc data on a server sponsored by the Society for Economic Dynamics.